The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 397: Ice and Snow Hell

The people’s gaze fell collectively on Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin.

Suddenly becoming the focus of the entire scene, the two showed not the slightest bit of constraint,

Next came a wave of commendations.

There were praises for them being heroes among youths, and of course, praises for Jiang Tao, as these two had come to celebrate Jiang Tao’s birthday!

Jiang Tao felt immensely honored.

After all, although the matter in Wangshan Town was only a local affair, people of the Jianghu value righteousness above all, and Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin, even if they were Jianghu people who didn’t possess martial arts skills, had done something that earned the admiration of many in the Jianghu.

Their actions embodied a righteousness as vast as the heavens!

While their reputation might not have spread far yet, everyone in the nearby regions had already heard of it. Just as everyone was praising their nobility, they came to celebrate his birthday. He felt a great sense of pride!

Thus, at the banquet, Jiang Tao invited them to sit beside him.

During the feast, he kindly asked if they had a place to stay, offering to clear a courtyard for them if needed. However, Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin politely declined.

At that moment, they also found the situation quite dramatic.

After all, they had only wanted to watch some excitement.

Unexpectedly, they had become part of the excitement themselves.

If they had known they would become the hero figures in the storytellers’ tales, and that the storyteller Jiang Tao hired was singing that very segment, they might not have joined the excitement.

During the feast, Jianghu guests at other tables came over to toast them.

Though they were young, no one looked down on them. Giving them face was also giving Jiang Tao face. Didn’t see Jiang Tao already grinning broadly, as if sharing in the glory?

By the time the banquet ended, it was already late. The two thanked Jiang Tao for his hospitality and bid farewell to return to the inn.

Jiang Tao had wanted Min Chang to see them off, but the two refused.

Xia Wenjin quickened her pace towards the inn.

Huangfu Jingchen was somewhat surprised and asked, "Are you in a hurry?"

Of course, Xia Wenjin was in a hurry; she hoped to return to the inn early so Huangfu Jingchen could sleep early. If he fell asleep, he likely wouldn’t know when the effect of the Ice and Snow Pill took hold.

She replied earnestly, "I’m tired, I want to sleep early! Listening to tales of our heroic deeds all the time and hearing so many people’s praises is still quite exhausting!"

Huangfu Jingchen chuckled and said, "Indeed!"

After returning to the room, a servant brought in hot water.

After washing up, Huangfu Jingchen picked up the blanket sent by the innkeeper and said, "You sleep on the bed, I’ll manage a night on the chair."

Xia Wenjin agreed without objection, "Goodnight!"

Then she lay on the bed, closed her eyes, and soon emitted even breaths.

Huangfu Jingchen had just arranged the chair and prepared to lie down, when he turned back to see the girl quietly lying on the bed. Her complexion was bright under the lamp, glowing like jade.

Had she fallen asleep already? She must be truly exhausted!

His smile slowly froze on his lips. Tomorrow they would reach the Glazed Pavilion, and he cherished every moment, yet Xia Wenjin seemed carefree.

In her heart, did she truly not have any feelings for him?

He walked lightly toward the bed.

The girl’s face was peaceful, her breathing smooth and even, long lashes covered her eyes, her sleep serene and sweet.

She was like a beautiful painting, making it hard for one to look away.

Huangfu Jingchen gazed intently at that face from up close.

The delicate skin, the refined eyebrows, red lips, made him almost unable to control himself and long to capture the fragrance. The young man’s gaze slowly turned infatuated as he reached out to touch the girl’s charming visage.

His hand edged closer, yet halted sharply before making contact.

He awkwardly rose, quickly retreating several steps.

The movement was somewhat abrupt, and he worried for a moment, but the girl’s sleep remained unchanged; she was truly tired and did not wake up.

Huangfu Jingchen sighed lightly to himself, deeply regretting his behavior.

In that moment, boundless unease arose within him, recalling the sweetness of kissing her earlier, her playful and adorable smile, her every word and laugh, which made him yearn more and more.

Fortunately, at the last moment, he had maintained self-control and refrained from doing anything inappropriate.

Wenjin slept so soundly, partly because she was tired, partly also because she trusted him.

If he truly acted, whether a touch or a gentle kiss, it would be a betrayal of her trust.

He held her dear in his heart, longing for a lifetime together based on her willingness.

The distance she intentionally maintained had already told him, at least for now, she was not ready to accept him.

He could strive harder, persist, and use sincerity to move her, but not at this moment, when she was asleep, to do such things.

Such actions would be no different from those of a scoundrel.

He gently blew out the candle, stealthily lay down on the chair, still ashamed of the earlier thoughts that had emerged.

The chair was narrow and short; he wasn’t too comfortable lying there. Yet, with Xia Wenjin in the room, he felt a heart full of contentment and warmth.

Unaware that when he had retreated in haste earlier, Xia Wenjin’s lashes had trembled lightly.

His restraint at the last moment relieved Xia Wenjin too.

She had not been mistaken; Huangfu Jingchen was indeed a gentleman, and she could rest assured and sleep a while.

In the middle of the night, a chill rose from every part of her body, and Xia Wenjin immediately placed the prepared silk cloth into her mouth to bite.

This way, when her teeth chattered from the cold, there would be no sound to alert others.

She curled up, freezing.

A layer of frost quickly spread over her hair, brows, lashes, cheeks, and body.

The blanket was somewhat warm, having retained heat from earlier sleep, but the exposed parts showed signs of thicker frost.

The bone-chilling cold was attacking every drop of blood, every meridian within her body. It was as if extreme cold compounded into countless frigid ice particles running rampant over her body.

She trembled uncontrollably, her teeth indeed chattering, almost biting through the silk cloth.

She didn’t emit a single sound, fearing it would awaken the person sleeping on the chair.

The Ice and Snow Pill’s impact on meridians and blood was more intense, more painful, and more unbearable each time. After all, the illness had damaged her entire physical state, and a body that required seven to eight years to recuperate was forced into recovery in seven days, treated with intense medicine.

It was akin to reshaping her meridians, purifying her blood, granting her rebirth.

Bone-chilling cold.

She felt as if even her teeth would freeze into ice, with not a speck of warmth within her whole body, so cold she thought the world’s most wretched Ice and Snow Hell would be no worse!